"I'm Bella Newell"

So the other day when we went to eat dinner with Uncle Ryrie. Someone asked Bella her name and she replied, "I'm Bella Newell". I was completely shocked as she has never said her first and last name together. Now of course she won't stop :).

Today the three of us were home again. It wasn't nearly as much fun since Gabby and I both have some type of bug with a nice runny nose. A lot of the day consisted of movies and sing-a-long songs and snuggle time. Bella is into a pretzel kick. The other day in the car she was handing some to me and then started handing me the ones she had licked the salt off of (gross). Today we were watching Bolt and I looked over to her sharing with Gabby - eating half and then handing them to Gabby. I asked her why Gabby couldn't have a new one and she said "I'm just giving her baby bites". I think Gabby got tired of her rations and leans over and grabbed a handful...which Bella replied "Gabby don't take them all".

Here are a few from today...
I gave Gabby some bangs last night. Now she can see again.

"Ta-Da"

Gabby is becoming quite a character. She just cracks me up. I was at home with the girls today, which I needed. It actually refreshed me emotionally (probably because they behaved and were so cute) from a hard week. Anyway...she is all about clapping (the correct way not by putting a ring on it any more). She was on her chair today and would clap and then say "Ta-Da"...which also works for touchdown since football is around the corner.
She's always so smiley

She loves her sunglasses like her sister.

Last Sunday her pigtails would curl they were straight out...it was pretty cute...but I love her pigtails...just like Bella. Her hair is getting long and thick in the back...it's starting to curl like Bella's did too...so I hope they last.

I finally cleaned out our bathroom last weekend and put some make up in a bag for Bella and Gabby...mostly brushes, lip gloss and powder...but every morning this week (except the one Bella gotten it taken away for lying) she and Gabby would put on their make-up while I got ready.

Found out that I put a brown lip gloss in the bag when Bella turned around and looked at me with shiny brown lips.

She also painted my toes the other night. She would paint my skin and then yell at me to sit still.

Today we went to breakfast with Papa and Nana, Target, naps, lunch and then we played outside. Of course it was overcast all day and by the time we got out there the sun had come out a few minutes later so we didn't get to play as long, but we had fun with sidewalk chalk and bubbles.

Gabby loving on Bella. She is such a chunk. It's so funny to see her belly get bigger as the day goes on. When she wakes up it's pretty flat, but by the time dinner is over and time for baths it's huge....like a small soccer ball.

Gabby is all about giggling and being tickled. She also has started to fall backwards, flat on her back and then starts cracking up, rolls over and does it again. She started this a few days ago and yesterday before school she fell back right into the door and scratched her back pretty good from the hinge; however, that hasn't stopped her from doing it all day today.

Bella was very intense on coloring today. She's getting closer to staying in the lines...well she colors one area and stays pretty close to the lines where before she just colored all over the page.

Both girls were using the chair to flip/fly over. Gabby walked over the Bella and gave her such a big hug. However, ten minutes before Gabby screamed at Bella and pushed her off the chair. She is going to be one tough little cookie.

Bella giving Gabby a ride tonight on one of Gabby's favorite toys. She also loves to stand on it. She loves to climb and stands on everything. Today I turned around and she had climbed up one of Bella's chairs and was standing on top of it...then we were making caterpillars using paper chains and every few seconds Gabby was trying stand up. She does listen and gets down when you tell her sit on her booty.

They are so cute together and Gabby is getting more vocal when she wants something. They are both pretty good about sharing. Bella will say in two minutes and then go over and ask Gabby if she wants it...and Gabby will pick up things of Bella and take them to her. Bella keeps adding new sentences...today I was talking to her I was in the kitchen and she was in her room and she came out and said "Mom were you asking me a question?" She was also looking at a magazine the other day that had a clown in it (a person dressed as a clown) and she asked what it was, I told her a clown, and then she said "that's nasty". I think she was referring to the caked on makeup. She also has started a nightly snuggle routine where we sit on the couch under a blanket and snuggle. Gabby keeps adding more words to her vocab too...she is a lot more verbal than Bella was. Bella at 18 months had the typical 5-6 words vocab that most have at that age...but Gabby has already surpassed that. She even said was resembled "thank you" the other night. She has really blossomed being at school. She is back to no crying when I drop her off and pick her up. I actually was with mom yesterday when we got the girls and I have to walk by Gabby's room to get Bella first or she gets upset not being able to pick up Gabby, and I usually she what Gabby is doing and hopes she doesn't see me...well she was dancing in the mirror and saw me...when we went back to get her with Bella the teachers said she was just waving at us...and then waved to mom and said "hi nana". First time she said nana so mom was excited. Still working on Papa T, even though she says Pappa, which sounds almost the same...she won't say it to dad yet...so I find it interesting that she knows the difference in sound and people.

Bella and her new sayings

Well, our little stinker just keeps cracking me up. It really is hard to keep a straight face lately. Here a few from the past few days...

She dropped something the other day and yelled "Oh Man"

Yesterday we were talking at my mom's house and she walked over and got in my face, raised her arms up and said "What are you talking about?"

Tonight we were in the bath and Joel said we needed to wash her stinky booty. She looked at him very seriously and said, "I don't have a stinky booty...I have no poop"

Joel also asked her to wait to use the roll on soap until she was in the tub and she slapped him...so of course she didn't get the soap at all after that one...but it was actually pretty funny and I had to bury in my head in his shirt to keep from laughing.

She was cute last night and said she wanted to snuggle with me on the couch (melted my heart), then she grabbed a magazine like mommy and we just snuggled and looked at our magazines together.

Gabby has also added a few more to her list of words...she now says "uh-oh" every time she drops something. The other morning she was carrying the ice packed shaped like Nemo and kept saying "nemo". I also love how she runs around the house yelling "Bella". She has become obsessed with Bella's Pooh push cart. She hops on and plays the music and then bounces in the seat. She also tries to stand on it...she is such a climber. Since her nose finally healed from falling a few weeks ago she then decided to fall at school and cut her cheek. She is really starting to blossom from being in school. She just runs around the house laughing and playing. She listens (more than the other one right now) when we ask her to go in a different room or find someone. She also has taken after Bella and dances and spins/twirls around the room. It's so cute. If you ask her to spin, she gets so excited and then starts and makes it about 1 1/2 turns and then falls because she's so dizzy, but she hops back up and keeps going. I'll have to post the videos soon.

Sorry no pictures, I'm exhausted and was too lazy to get them out of the camera.

Piggy Tails & The World Life Zoo

Gabby is doing so well in school. She is starting to love being dropped off. The other day when I went to pick her up Sandra (one of her teachers) had put her hair in pig tails and ribbons. She looked like a little girl not my baby any more.

The girls have enjoyed Pappa & Granna visiting. We got up early and headed to the World Life Zoo to beat some of the heat. I hadn't been there since I was little and it was one giant cage with Tigers & Panthers. It has since moved and grown into a large park. We saw great animals and were able to get really close to some. The birds at the entrance...

There were several monkey exhibits.

On daddy's shoulders

Seeing the kangaroos There were two that had Joeys in their pouches...you can see it's feet sticking out.

Looking at the tigers...Bella would say hi Tigers Rise and Shine.

Gabby was funny and started to roar at this one.

I think Gabby looks a lot like her Granna in this picture.

We had a little refuge from the heat in the small mammal section...Gabby looking at some little monkeys

White Tiger

The zebras walked over for a visit and some shade

By the time we got to the giraffes it was pretty hot...so they were all laying in the grass so Bella couldn't feed them but had fun trying to throw pellets at them

At the end we headed to the nicely air conditioned aquariums. They had two baby white tigers in the first one we went to.

Bella wanted to see sharks all day

It was really hot and Gabby loved playing in the water...I don't think she realized there were urchins in there to touch.

Touching the starfish

Bella wasn't sure of the sting rays...so Pappa got some shrimp to feed them and she finally got up to watch

Bella is a stinker and tonight here's how a conversation went while drying off...

I asked her something...
Bella: "Shut Up"
Jen: "What did you say?"
Bella: "I didn't say anything and I'm not lying"
Jen: "I know you said something I heard you"
Bella: "I didn't say anything"
Jen: "Did you say 'Shut up'?"
Bella: "Yes, sorry Mommy"

Which then turned into a conversation about how we don't lie. It was so hard to keep a straight face ... Bonnie looked at me after Bella left the room and said it's only the beginning :).

Happy 4th of July

What a great weekend we had. Joel had Friday off so he took the girls to the children's museum. These were from a few days before.

We headed over to Papa and Nana's house for a wonderful bbq. Papa sweated up a storm grilling kabobs outside. Ryan was able to make it as well as my aunt from Indiana. We were glad to have great friends join us - Joel's friend he grew up with Quincy and the Shorts. We had a blast swimming and eating.

Bella loved Mary Kate and kept kissing her toes...and now wants a baby...but since she has a baby sister now she wants a baby brother....we'll see next year where we're at about that topic.

The girls blowing bubbles.

The beautiful Short family.

early hair twirler like her mommy

Bella's 2nd ear of corn on the cob.

After the bbq Papa, Nana and I took Bella to the fireworks. It was her first time and had a blast with all the stuff to do.

She had her first pony ride...and loved it. I wasn't sure since she hates the carousels how she'd do but loved it ...think it was probably because her pony's name was princess.

She went on a bouncy maze and kept getting lost and coming back to the beginning. Luckily the girl that was behind us in line kept getting lost two so finally her sister went in and helped them up the wall they kept getting stuck on.

enjoying her shaved ice that nana stood in line an hour for.

Firework time. She was so excited for the first few minutes and then was climbing all over us...then loved the finale.

Didn't take long to fall asleep in the car. We got home after 11. She got up this morning and asked if we were going to see fireworks again.